AMBIENCES, CUSTOMS,
CIVILIZATIONS

Plinio Corrêa de Oliveira

THE
famous painting by Velasquez, "The Little Girls", is taken, and rightly so,
as one of the great works of pictorial art. The childish and candid grace of
"La Infanta", the most dignified and respectful kindness of the young noble
women who serve her, the proud and noble bearing of the Knight of Santiago (which
can be seen on the left side of the picture), the self-portrait of the
painter himself, the gravity of the other knight in the background, etc.,
taken as a whole, are expressive of an ambience that is recollected,
elevated, and profoundly civilized. An attentive and prolonged consideration
of this masterpiece of Spanish art goes beyond a pleasing of the artistic
sensibility; it invites one to a highly formative appreciation of the human
personality.

If someone were to suffer a sudden
disturbance of his eyes, his nerves, or his mind…

IF SUCH a thing were to happen,
then, of course, the harmonies of the picture by Velasquez would go to
pieces before him. At the extreme point of this disturbance, he could
possibly reach the state expressed in the other photo on this page. The
contrary could never occur. If someone were simply to study the second photo,
and begin to suffer problems with his sight, nerves, and mind, he would
never reach the point of seeing "The Little Girls" of Velasquez. This is so
evident that it does not require demonstration. The fact is that the first
picture is the product of order, of talent, of culture, of civilization. It
shows in its imponderables a profoundly Christian mark.

The second is the fruit of
disorder, of extravagance, of imbalance, and of intemperance. It can only
proceed from a soul full of disorderly passions or under the influence of an
illness. . . .

The second picture reproduces
Picasso’s copy of the immortal work of Velasquez. . . . No comment . .